Worthing United Football Club

Worthing United's ground sits just outside Lancing, a proper no-nonsense football club that plays in the National League South - several rungs below the Premier League but the sort of place where you'll actually see the players walk past you after the match. The Woodside Road stadium is small and functional, nothing fancy, but that's precisely the appeal if you're after genuine grassroots football rather than corporate hospitality and overpriced hot dogs.

Match days are the obvious time to visit - admission won't break the bank and the crowd tends to be a friendly mix of locals and travelling supporters. You get a real sense of community football here, the kind where people actually know each other's names. Non-match days? There's little reason to turn up unless you're doing a stadium tour, which isn't particularly advertised.

Families with kids who fancy something different from the usual tourist trail might enjoy a Saturday afternoon fixture. It's unpretentious, atmospheric without being intimidating, and considerably cheaper than traipsing to Brighton. If you're staying at The Barn or Beach Park - both within three miles - and the fixture list aligns, it's worth a punt.

The real draw, though, is if you're genuinely interested in watching proper football played by blokes who aren't millionaires. Don't come expecting Stamford Bridge bells and whistles. Come for the authentic experience of English non-league football, where the passion is real and the admission fee doesn't require a second mortgage.